Wall clip

ABSTRACT

A wall clip may be used to mount photographs, certificates and other documents or thin panels of varying thickness to a wall. The wall clip may be a generally L-shaped corner piece or a generally straight edge piece. The wall clip comprises a front wall and a rear wall connected by a side wall, forming a slot between the front and rear walls. The front and rear walls are configured so that, adjacent the side wall, the slot has a first thickness wider than the document to be mounted, and necks down to a second thickness narrower than the document to be mounted and then widens again adjacent the inner edge of the front wall to form an entrance into which the document is inserted. When a document is inserted into the slot, the front wall and/or rear wall flexes away from the other. This creates a spring force biasing the front and rear walls toward each other, thus gripping the inserted document. One or more pins extend from the back side of the rear wall for securing the wall clip to a wall. Alternatively, the back side of the rear wall may comprise an adhesive for securing the wall clip to a wall.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This U.S. Patent Application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/634,740, filed Dec. 9, 2004, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to clips for mounting photographs, documents or other planar objects to a wall.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Push pins are commonly used to mount photographs, posters, certificates and other documents on walls. While generally effective, push pins require that the document be punctured, which can lead to tearing. Further, there is a tendency for push pins to dislodge, which can create a dangerous situation.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,185 describes an alternative to the conventional use of push pins in the form of a corner bracket having a slot for receiving the corner of a planer object, e.g., a poster or a picture in a mat frame, to be mounted on a wall. The device includes front and rear walls connected by an outer side wall which together form a slot having a uniform thickness. A pin extends rearwardly from the rear wall. The pin can be pushed into a wall to secure the bracket to the wall.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention comprises a wall clip used to mount photographs, certificates and other documents or thin panels (collectively referred to herein as “documents”) of varying thicknesses to a wall. The wall clip may be a generally L-shaped corner piece or a generally straight edge piece. The wall clip has a generally U-shaped cross-section and comprises a front wall having inner and outer edges and a rear wall having inner and outer edges. The front and rear walls are connected, preferably at their outer edges, by a side wall. The space between the front wall and the rear wall forms a slot for receiving the periphery of a document. the slot has a base portion adjacent the side wall which has a first thickness. The front and rear walls are configured such that the slot narrows to a second thickness (which could be zero) less than the thickness of the base portion and then widens to a third thickness to form a slot entrance into which the edge of a document is initially inserted. When a document having a thickness greater than the second thickness of the slot, but less than the first thickness of the slot, is inserted into the slot, the front and rear walls flex away from each other. This creates a spring force biasing the front and rear walls toward each other, thereby gripping the document within the slot. One or more pins extend rearwardly from an outer edge of the rear wall. The pins can be pushed or pressed into a wall to secure the clip. Alternatively, the outer edge of the rear wall may be secured to a wall surface using an adhesive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, like element designations refer to like parts throughout, and:

FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective and front views, respectively, of a preferred L-shaped corner piece wall clip according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a rectangular edge piece wall clip according to aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a wall clip with a document edge inserted according to aspects of the present invention;

FIGS. 5A to 5G are cross-sectional views of various wall clips according to aspects of the present invention;

FIGS. 6A to 6C are front views of possible uses of multiple wall clips according to aspects of the present invention; and

FIGS. 7A to 7E are front views of possible uses of multiple wall clips with ornamental shapes according to aspects of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a wall clip 10 includes a front wall 11 spaced apart from a rear wall 12. The front wall and rear wall extend generally in the same direction and contact a document, as described below. The document to be mounted may be a photograph, a certificate, or any other thin object. The wall clip may form a corner piece as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, or in some embodiments, may form an edge piece, as shown in FIG. 2.

With reference to FIG. 3, the wall clip 10 is generally U-shaped and includes a side wall 13 connecting the front wall 11 and the rear wall 12. The front wall 11 is spaced apart from the rear wall 12 to form a slot 14 which receives a periphery of a document for mounting, as described below.

The front wall 11 includes an elongate portion 11 a and a contact portion 11 b which contacts the document for mounting, as described below. Along an inner edge 15 of the front wall 11 of the wall clip, the contact portion 11 b extends towards and away from the rear wall 12. This provides for an entrance into the slot 14 which is narrower than the thickness of the document received into the slot 14. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the front wall 11 may contact the rear wall 12 at the entrance of the slot 14. Alternatively, the front wall 11 and rear wall 12 do not contact one another. In extending away from the rear wall 12, the front wall 11 forms a gradual transition which can channel the object being mounted for ease of insertion into the slot 14, as described below. A channel 17 separates the front wall 11 from the rear wall 12 in the area of the contact portion 11 b extending away from the rear wall 12.

The wall clip further includes means for securing the wall clip 10 to a wall on which it is to be mounted. A preferred means for mounting the wall clip 10 is a pin 19, e.g., made of metal and plastic, that is fixedly attached to, e.g., molded into, the rear wall and extends rearwardly from the rear wall 12 of the wall clip 10. The end of the pin 19 mounted from the rear wall 12 is preferably sharp. The pin 20 may be inserted into the wall by applying pressure to the wall clip 10. This embodiment is particularly useful for walls made of a soft material such as cork, fabric, or the like that is easily punctured.

In another preferred embodiment, the means for attaching includes a layer of adhesive, e.g., pressure-sensitive adhesive, double-stick tape or the like, or wall putty, which is applied to the rear wall 12. The adhesive is preferably protected by a removable covering which is removed before the wall clip is to be mounted to a wall. These embodiments are particularly useful for hard, flat walls.

Preferably, the wall clip 10 is made of a unitary construction, e.g., extruded plastic or metal, although other constructions, e.g., a two piece construction, may be used. Preferably, the wall clip 10 is formed of a uniform thickness as illustrated in FIG. 3. The wall clip 10 may be formed of a varying thickness, and may be formed with a more narrow thickness in areas requiring greater flexibility. The wall clip generally is formed of a material having sufficient flexibility to allow insertion of the document to be mounted.

With reference to FIG. 4, the front wall 11 and the rear wall 12 cooperate to grip a document 21 inserted into the slot 14. In one preferred embodiment, the rear wall 12 is generally flat and the front wall 11 is configured to apply a biasing force to the document 21 once it is inserted into the slot 14. The document is brought into the channel 17. The edge of the document 21 is channeled into the entrance to the slot, and pressed into the slot 14. Insertion of the document 21 into the slot 14 causes the front wall 11 to flex outwardly away from the rear wall to accommodate the thickness of the document 21. In doing so, the front wall 11 applies a biasing force against the document 21 which results in the wall clip 10 gripping the document 21.

The document 21 can pass into the slot 14 until it abuts the side wall 13, as illustrated in FIG. 4. The front wall 11 and rear wall 12 cooperate to grip the inserted document 21. The front wall 11 is configured to apply a biasing force to the document 15 once it is inserted into the slot 14. When the document 21 is inserted, the biasing force causes the document to be “pinched” or held in place. This biasing can be overcome by pulling the document from the slot 14. The biasing force exerted on the document 21 by the front wall 11 is not so great as to prevent removal of the document 21 from the wall clip 10.

Various designs of a “biasing” front wall are shown in FIGS. 5A to 5G. In these embodiments, the rear wall 12 extends away from the entrance to the slot 14 further the front wall 11 to facilitate insertion of the document 21 into the slot 14. It is understood that , while not preferred, the front wall 11 can be flat and the rear wall 12 configured to apply a biasing force to grip the document. Likewise, the front wall 11 and rear wall 12 may be cooperatively configured to each provide a force on the document to thereby grip the document. As shown in each of these embodiments, the front wall 11 preferably includes the curved inner edge 15 that contacts the surface of the document 21 so as not to dig in and tear the document (see FIG. 4).

Near the area of the channel 17, the inner edge 15 of the front wall 11 may extend parallel to the rear wall 12, as shown in FIGS. 5B, 5E, and 5F. Alternatively or additionally, near the area of the channel 17, the inner edge 15 of the front wall may extend at an angle from the rear wall 12, as shown in FIGS. 5A, 5C, 5D, and 5G. Alternatively or additionally still, near the area of the channel 17, the inner edge 15 of the front wall may curve away from the rear wall 12, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5G. An outer edge 23 of the front wall 11 may be curved to match the curvature of the inner edge 15 of the front wall 11, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5F, or may be generally flat, as shown in FIG. 5G.

The dimensions of the wall clip 10 are generally not critical and may vary as desired, generally becoming larger as the planar object or document to be mounted increases in size or weight. The width of the slot 14, at least at its base, i.e., the portion of the slot adjacent the side wall 13, is sufficient to receive the document 21. The width of the entrance to the slot is less than the width of the document 21 so that one or both of the front wall 11 and the rear wall 12 must flex outwardly when the edge of the document is inserted into the slot, to thereby grip the document.

Other dimensions, such as the length of and height of the front wall and rear wall of an edge piece wall clip or of each leg of a corner piece wall clip can vary as desired. In one edge piece embodiment, the wall clip measures about 2 inches in length, about 1 inch in height and about ¼ inch in depth. Each prong of a corner piece embodiment can include similar measurements, or the measurements of the prongs may vary with respect to one another or generally. A presently preferred material for making the wall clip is 1/16 inch thick plastic or any other suitable plastic material.

Because of the gripping ability of the wall clip of the present invention, a single wall clip can suffice to mount a document on a wall. However, it is generally preferred to use multiple wall clips in combination, as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C. With reference to FIG. 6A, for example, four L-shaped corner piece wall clips may be used together, each forming a corner piece to a rectangular document to be mounted. With reference to FIG. 6B, four straight edge pieces may be used along each of the four side edges of the document to be mounted. Alternatively, a combination of corner pieces and edge pieces may be used, as shown in FIG. 6C.

With reference to FIGS. 7A to 7D, ornamental design elements may be used to give the wall clip a curved or angled shape as desired, thus allowing the wall clip to appear as a geometric design when viewed from the front. With reference to FIG. 7A, ends of the corner piece wall clip are angled. With reference to FIG. 7B, the edge piece wall clip is triangularly shaped. With reference to FIG. 7C, the wall clip 10 is circularly shaped. With reference to FIG. 7D, the wall clip 10 is shaped to provide rounded contours of an interesting shape. With reference to FIG. 7E, the wall clip is shaped to include a rounded transition from one leg of the L-shaped corner piece to another leg thereof in the area of the channel 17 (see FIG. 3). Other shapes which can be formed include oval, trapezoid, or any other combination of rounded and angled contours as desired.

While the invention has been described in its preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the words which have been used are of words of description and not of limitation. Therefore, changes can be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention. 

1. A wall clip for a mounting a document to a wall, the wall clip comprising: a generally U-shaped clip portion including a front wall having inner and outer edges, a rear wall having inner and outer edges and a side wall connecting the front wall and the rear wall to thereby form a slot between the front wall and rear wall, said slot having an entrance adjacent the inner edge of at least one of the front wall and rear wall and wherein the front and rear walls are configured to grip the periphery of a document inserted into the slot; and means for securing the clip portion to a wall.
 2. The wall clip of claim 1 wherein the wall clip forms a generally L-shaped corner piece.
 3. The wall clip of claim 1 wherein the wall clip forms a generally straight edge piece.
 4. The wall clip of claim 1 wherein a width of the front wall is less than a width of the rear wall.
 5. The wall clip of claim 1 wherein the means for securing comprises a pin attached to and extending rearwardly from the clip portion.
 6. The wall clip of claim 1 wherein the means for securing comprises an adhesive material applied to the rear edge of the rear wall.
 7. A wall clip for mounting a document to a wall, the wall clip comprising: a generally U-shaped clip portion including a first wall having inner and outer edges, a second wall having inner and outer edges, and a side wall connecting the first wall and the second wall to thereby form a slot between the first wall and the second wall, wherein the inner edges of the first wall and the second wall converge toward one another to form a document contact point and diverge away from one another, forming a V-shaped channel therebetween, and wherein the first wall and second wall are flexible away from one another and biased toward one another to hold the document at the document contact point.
 8. The wall clip of claim 7 wherein the inner edge of the front wall is curved.
 9. The wall clip of claim 8 wherein the outer edge of the front wall is curved to match the inner edge of the front wall.
 10. The wall clip of claim 8 wherein the outer edge of the front wall is generally flat.
 11. The wall clip of claim 7 wherein the wall clip is a generally L-shaped corner piece.
 12. The wall clip of claim 7 wherein the wall clip is a generally straight edge piece.
 13. The wall clip of claim 7 wherein the outer contours of the wall clip form a decorative design.
 14. The wall clip of claim 7 wherein the wall clip is formed from a single piece of molded plastic.
 15. The wall clip of claim 7, further comprising a fastener attached to the rear wall and extending away from the front and rear walls.
 16. The wall clip of claim 15 wherein the fastener is molded plastic.
 17. The wall clip of claim 15 wherein the fastener is metal.
 18. The wall clip of claim 7, further comprising an adhesive material applied to an outer edge of the rear wall.
 19. The wall clip of claim 18 wherein the adhesive material is protected by a removable covering. 